Letting go
by Creati0n
Summary: Narnia is now the past for Lucy, but the memories continue to haunt her, leaving her restless and empty. She hast lost all will to fight, all hope in life and happiness, when Aslan takes a last step towards her : this time a Narnian is sent to England, with the mission to bring Queen Lucy the Valiant back - whatever it takes. Lucy x Caspian - on HIATSUS
1. Prologue

**Hello hello ! I have sooooo much work to do this week it's terrible, really. So I had an idea : while I'm writing on my presentation, I'll be writing on a new Lucian story ! Banzai ! (I'm not so sure about the title yet, it might change)**

**This would take place two after Lucy has come back from Narnia for the last time so if I calculated it right she is 17 years old.**

**It's going to be a longer story this time, so be patient with me ;)**

**Hope you enjoy it.**

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**Prologue**

Time had passed but Lucy Pevensie didn't want to accept it. Even though Aslan had said that she would never return to Narnia, there had still been a ray of hope lingering inside of her heart. So she had waited. Waited. Waited as season passed, waited as her brothers and sisters left home, starting off their new independent lives – free. But Lucy wasn't free. She was entangled in memories, unable to let go of what was now the past. Sometimes she would try to forget but then she would see a small detail of her everyday life, a piece of cloth, of wood, a knife that vaguely reminded her of a dagger... and everything would come back.

Her mother couldn't understand what had gotten into her youngest child since that holiday with Eustace and Edmund, two years ago. Lucy, whose smile and laughter had always brightened up her family's world, had become gloomy. There wasn't a day where she wouldn't sit in the staircase, looking out of the small window, sighing softly. Susan said it was her age, Peter was worried she might be sick and Edmund thought she might be in a depression and never did Lucy anything to explain her feelings to them. That she had left a bit of her heart in Narnia, with Aslan. She knew that over there the land was longing for her as much as she longed for it. She liked to call it melancholia, but she knew it was stronger than that.

She had long stopped caring about how she looked like, since _that_ day on the Dawn Treader, the only time were Aslan had ever be disappointed in her. _Well, he would probably be disappointed to see me like I am now... _she thought sarcastically and a sad smile covered her face. Oh if only she could go back! She didn't understand how Aslan wanted her to find him here in England but she desperately wished to see him, to beg him to take her back home... Because Narnia was her home. She didn't belong here anymore and every day in this world tarnished more the light in her eyes. Every morning she woke up wondering why she was lying in this small bed, in this small room, in this sad world.

Today was worse than the other days and as she gazed out of the window, the bright spring sun seemed to mock her. She stared back at the laughing orb, wishing it would just disappear behind a cloud, so that she could be gloomy in peace. After a few seconds she blinked, not able to hold the sun's gaze anymore and black spots appeared before her inner eye. Slightly annoyed by this, Lucy buttoned her blouse and tucked it in her skirt. Then she took her school bag and marched down the stairs towards the front door, not in the mood to have breakfast. Once she had loved the sun. Now she loathed its bright shine that reminded her of a much brighter, more beautiful one in another world. Rain suited England better.

Stomping through the alley, she didn't let herself glance a single time at the flowers that grew on the boarders of the alley. They were pretty, colourful and delicate and two years ago she would immediately have sat down a plucked a few violets that she would later braid in her hair. But now they seemed lifeless to her, the colours couldn't reach her frozen heart. The birds that were twitting in the branches seemed ridiculously dumb and their twitters lacked imagination. Lucy sniffed and continued her way, ignoring the friendly signs nature sent her.

Truly, she wasn't herself any more. She had lost herself.

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**OK so this was the just a taste of how it's going to be. Lucy is saaaaad... but someone is going to cheer her up, sooner or later. **

**Of course, in the next chapter we'll talk about Caspian (right, cause a Lucian story with Lucy alone doesn't really work, does it) and (hint) Aslan is going to be there too !**

**Tell me how you liked it (right, reviews !). **

**Chapter 1 is to come soon...**


	2. Chapter 1

**Hello hello - yes right, here's already the nexst chapter ! I don't know why I'm always so much more inspired when I have work to do... which I should be doing at the present moment but am not (problem ?). Well, whatever.**

**Last chapter got so many follows in just one night I couldn't believe it ! So thanks everyone and I hope you'll find the rest of the story interesting :D**

**Here we are, chapter one : the reader now follows Caspian (I'll probably be switching focus during the story but I won't do something as confusing as changing point of view - it's gonna be 3rd persone all along don't worry) and we see our Great Lion ! 3**

**Enjoy !**

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**PART 1**

**Chapter 1**

A sudden rush of pain went through Caspian's leg as the tip of his foe's sword sunk into his flesh. Quickly he moved away from the man and found himself with his back to a wall. He groaned. _Aslan help us!_ He sent alarmed looks around him, only to see that his men were all fighting for their lives, unable to help him. _Where is my sword?_ The man was coming nearer, taking his time, savouring the moment. The King of Narnia was at his mercy and he particularly enjoyed the trapped look in the young man's eyes.

Caspian swore and plunged forward, tackling his assailant with all his might. The soldier stumbled and they both fell onto the ground. Caspian seized his chance and took a grip on the dagger that was hanging at the man's belt. With a swift gesture he pulled it and aimed at the warrior's neck but was countered by the shield that the man drew just in time. The soldier couldn't use his sword on such a short range but he had a physical advantage, being bigger than Caspian, and he seized the King's neck, trying to strangle him.

But the young man wasn't that easy to defeat, plus he still had the dagger... Briskly, he cut off the soldier's hand. Splashing red came out of his wound and he roared in pain while Caspian jumped to his feet and picked up his assailant's sword. He was about to pierce the heart of the man when he heard a deep voice:

**You shall not kill, Caspian.**

His eyebrows twitched. This was a battlefield; it wasn't the moment to show mercy. But he felt that he should obey the voice. _I am a king, how come I want to listen to someone's orders so much?_ He kept his eyes on the enemy lying on the floor, his sword on the man's chest. He shuddered at the expression of blank terror and pain in his eyes.

**Come to me.**

Who could this be? Caspian quickly searched for the person who was talking to him but he could only see fighting men. If he didn't finish off this one soon, another opponent would come at him and he would have to defend himself from two persons...

"Where are you?!" he shouted.

He could see the disturbed look of his victim but he didn't care.

**Go towards the sea.**

Caspian hesitated for a second, but then he started to run, his fist clenched around the sword's handle. His movements were slow because of the wound on his leg but somehow he managed to pierce through the crowd of men. _Why is no one following me?_ This shouldn't have gone so easily.

He paused for a second to catch his breath and looked back. His men were outnumbered and the number of dead kept increasing. His heart ached as he saw the captain of his army fall under the blades of three men. He wanted to go and help them, fight with his people and save as much of them as could.

**Don't look back, come to me.**

With gritted teeth, Caspian trotted towards the shore. The noise of the fights got smaller and smaller until it finally vanished, leaving nothing but the sound of waves brushing against the sand and of stars breathing. A shadow appeared a few meters from him.

"Aslan!" Caspian gasped, before falling to his knees.

The great lion bowed and his mane seemed to glow in the moonlight as if it was made of strings of gold. His wise eyes looked warmly down on Caspian and he said:

"Rise, King of Narnia."

Slowly, Caspian rose.

"Pardon me Aslan, I didn't know it was you who was calling me."

"That doesn't matter anymore." He paused. "I have a task for you to accomplish, son."

"Whatever it is I shall listen to it." Caspian humbly answered.

"Queen Lucy is in need. You shall go and rescue her."

"Is she in Narnia? What dangers have befallen her?" he wondered.

"No, she is not in this country. She is in England, in her own world, facing a new kind of threat. A threat she doesn't know and can't identify. If we don't help her she might never escape it."

"But what is this threat?"

Aslan gave him a long, unreadable look. "You will see it for yourself, if you agree to go."

"How can I help her? Are Peter, Susan and Edmund not with her?"

"They can't do anything, for they do not know what she is facing. You alone will be able to reach her, if she lets you. Your mission will be to bring Lucy the Valiant back. If you manage to wake her up, I will – this time but no other – change her destiny. Are you ready for this?"

"I think I am, Aslan."

"Then go, go to her world."

Suddenly a strong wind started blowing, whirling around Caspian like a tornado. Twigs, branches, sand and stones were flying around him and soon he couldn't see anything. The sea, the beach, Aslan – all of these had disappeared behind a wall of grey wind. An electric current seemed to be running through his body and he could see flashes of lightning coming down only centimetres from him.

The sound of thunder made him jump and suddenly a heavy rain started pouring down on him. Within a few seconds he was soaked. He looked at the water that was running on his hands, washing away bits of blood. At his feet, the water was slightly pink. When he raised his head, he saw tall, grey buildings, structured but lit windows. A woman bumped into him and he stumbled.

"Are you all right, milady?" Caspian asked but she just ignored him and kept walking.

Astonished, his eyes followed her until she turned at a corner. More people were walking around him, with strange horizontal flags that seemed to protect them from the water. The men and women that didn't have any of these were often running, sometimes with their coats pulled over their hair. _Is this the Kings' and Queens' world?_

This wasn't the time to slack off, he reminded himself. He had to find Lucy before... before what? He shook his head. Anyway he had to find her and save her quickly. But where was she? He decided to ask someone and stopped a nervous-looking man.

"Excuse me but can you please tell me where I can find Queen Lucy?"

The man looked at him with wide eyes.

"I'm... I'm sorry?"

"Queen Lucy. Her whereabouts."

"I don't know a queen Lucy, sir, our Queen is called Elizabeth and I have to go."

And without further explanation he dashed away from a perplex Caspian. _So they are only Kings and Queens in Narnia, aren't they_? He thought. But how was he going to find Lucy? He sneezed. _Then... let's try her family name. Pevensie, wasn't it?_ This time, he turned towards an elderly woman.

"Milady, do you have a few minutes?"

"Young man you are soaked! Come under my umbrella." the old lady shrieked.

"This is not a problem, you need not worry about me" he smiled warmly. "Do you know a young girl called Lucy Pevensie? She is about sixteen I believe and has curly hair."

"I am sorry, but I don't. Is she from here?"

He nodded.

"You should go and ask at a school, if she's that young the children would know better."

"Where can I find a school?"

"Do you see the old building on the other side of the street? The secondary school is on the other side."

"Thank you very much milady. Get home safe." He kissed her hand and left towards the building the woman had pointed him.

Suddenly, a roaring beast with eyes as bright as the sun shot towards him and he could barely save himself by running towards the opposite side of the street. The monster passed him without stopping and he noticed that it had wheels. _It must be a war engine created by man._ He thought, his heart beating fast under the rush of adrenaline.

After a strong sneeze, he continued towards the school. When he arrived in front of the gates, he saw a group of half a dozen teenage girls with horizontal flags coming out of the building. He walked towards them and asked:

"Good day ladies, would you happen to know a certain Lucy Pevensie; a sixteen year old girl with brown locks?"

The girls looked at each other, giggling at his strange appearance. Then one of them hesitantly murmured:

"I know her; she is in my class... Since we just finished class she should be coming out any minute."

"Thank you very much. I shall wait for her."

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**Haha what is going to happen ? Lucy seems to have changed very much... so how is she going to react to Caspian's appearance ? Mystery mystery...**

**How did you like it ? Don't hesitate to post some of your lovely reviews ;)**

**xoxoxo**


	3. Chapter 2

**Oh my hello again! Thank you reader, for being a reader.**

**I have already written the next chapter but maybe I'll start posting on a weekly basis, so I have room to write and some spare chapters if I'm not inspired... so chapter 3 will only be posted next week (maybe I'll change my mind if you beg nicely enough - or maybe not).**

**So until now I suppose we have understood what it would be about: Caspian in England, trying to save Lucy hihihi**

**Chapter 1 ended with a "I shall wait". Well he has waited enough and... tadaaam! they meet! What will Lu's reaction be?**

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**Chapter 2**

Lucy was satisfied, because the sun had disappeared. Maybe she had cursed it long enough while she was in maths class, with her skin burning under the hot rays. Or maybe it had preferred to hide itself from her glares. Or, more plausible, it had been pushed aside by the arriving thunderstorm. That one had probably been caused by her bad mood. Or it could have been the music class, where Stefanie Ashhold had sung so badly that it just had to rain.

That last thought pleased her. Human voices were horrible, so it was stupid of the teacher to actually _make_ them sing. Like he understood anything about music anyway.

She sighed a she thought about the complex melodies of the fauns' flutes, that could make you want to dance or cry (or sleep, like the first time she met Mr. Tumnus...). They enchanted the woods and Lucy had just adored them. And the birds, so wise and so beautiful, had charmed her every single time with their sweet songs. And the bards during the Golden Age had sung for her during long nights, telling about old Narnian tales, their instruments always matching perfectly the tone of their voices… _Ah, music._ She sighed at the pleasing memory. Why was music so common and boring in this world?

Lucy stopped at the school doors. She hadn't brought an umbrella. She stared accusingly at the sky. It was dark and loaded and lightning and thunder stroke regularly. If only there were more trees, she wouldn't get so wet on the way back home. In Narnia the woods were everywhere, protective and mysterious. Lucy remembered dancing barefoot with the nymphs on the leaf-covered floor... She gazed at her feet, covered with thin leather shoes. How she would love to take them off! But she knew that if she did that she would not only hurt and dirty her feet and therefore be screamed at by her mother but she would also get sick and have to lie in bed for days.

She took a big breath and stepped out in the rain. At the gate, a group a girls were chatting, nearly fully blocking the way. With this terrible weather, it surprised Lucy that they weren't already home, drinking hot chocolate and painting their nails. They must have remembered something they absolutely had to discuss before the end of the day... She bet that it had something to do with boys.

Before she could reach them, the girls took their leave, still chatting and giggling. Apparently they had been talking to a strangely dressed man. The rain must be blurring her vision because for one second she thought she had recognised someone from another world. My dreams are even pursuing me in broad daylight now? Am I having hallucinations? Slowly, Lucy stepped forward, until only a few meters separated her from the man.

He had raven hair that reached his muscular shoulders and framed a sunburned face. His dark eyebrows were frowning above brown eyes that were following the chatting students, as if he was searching for someone. He was completely soaked, his hair stuck to his cheeks and neck and his clothes were dripping, probably two or three shades darker than they usually were.

"Caspian?" Lucy croaked.

He turned towards her and she was sure that it was him. Recognition lit his eyes and he smiled happily at her sight.

"Lucy! Are you safe?"

Without a word she ran towards him and hugged him with all her strength. He stumbled but hugged her back. Through the wet clothes, she could feel that he was shaking from the cold.

"Just checking you real." she informed him.

"Well I am. Aslan sent me to your world..."

"You saw Aslan?!" she shrieked. "How was he? Did he say something about me?"

"Well, he was royal and splendid as ever. He said... he said you were in great danger and I had to save you."

Lucy's eyes widened.

"I am in danger? In danger of what? There is nothing happening in this world..."

"I don't know he didn't tell me."

"You know what, let's go home and we'll talk. It's terribly cold in the rain."

He nodded. She let go of him and took his hand. Then she dragged him behind her.

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Thankfully, her mother was out and the house was empty. Lucy hesitated between the urge of pressing Caspian with questions and the knowledge that he absolutely had to warm up.

"OK, go into the shower, I'll bring you some of Peter's old clothes."

She showed him the shower and was about to go to her room to change (she had been soaked as well while they had stood outside of the school gate) when he hesitantly asked:

"What is a shower?"

_Oh right. He doesn't know anything._ Lucy didn't really feel like explaining him how all human material worked so she just opened the water and let it flow in the tub.

"Forget it. When there's enough water, turn it off _here_. You all right now?"

Caspian smiled bravely and nodded. The young girl left the room and closed silently the door behind her before she climbed the stairs. _AnarnianisinmyhouseaNarniani sinmyhouseaNarnianisinmyhous e!_ Was that her reward for having never forgotten Aslan and looked out for him everywhere in England? A smile lit her face. It had really been a long time since she last smiled. She stripped off her wet school uniform and put on her pyjamas and a large sweater. Then she proceeded to drying her hair and brushing it. _AnarnianisinmyhouseaNarniani sinmyhouseaNarnianisinmyhous e... _She went to Peter's old room and took out a warm, woollen shirt, large trousers and thick socks. Then she descended to the bathroom, where she knocked at the door.

"Caspian?"

"Yes, Lucy?"

"I'll put the clothes in front of the door, get them when you are ready. I'll be waiting in the living-room."

"All right, just a minute."

Light-footed, Lucy walked down the stairs and entered the kitchen, where she put on the water boiler. Then she took two mugs out of a cupboard and put tea bags, spoons and sugar in them. When the water was hot, she poured it into the cups, which she then brought to the living-room. Caspian was already waiting for her, standing uncomfortably in the middle of the room.

"You can sit down you know." she pointed out to him.

He sat on the couch and she joined him, handing him a cup of tea.

"You have to stir it so the sugar mixes with the tea." she told him and he followed her example.

"This world is very strange." the young king murmured. "I saw strange buildings, strange objects, strange animals... even the people behave strangely."

"Is it?" Lucy asked absent-mindedly. "Maybe... it's true that technology is much more evolved here but that's the only good point of this world. In Narnia it's prettier, the animals are nice and the people are more open. And there's magic too."

"What kind of technology is there?"

"Well you have cars for instance. They are like carriages that don't need horses to pull them if you want. Or we have electricity. Like the lamp above us. It's automatic light that you can switch on and off with a button... no fire."

Caspian looked at her with wide eyes.

"And you mean to say that there is no magic in this world?"

"Well yes, because that is science, not magic. It's all human doing. Here, humans are the only ones who can think or talk anyway. Animals are completely wild."

Lucy sounded bored, but Caspian's curiosity was too great.

"Are human minds more evolved here, for them to be able to invent such things?"

"Not really. They're foolish and mean, for the most of them, because they don't know anything about the nature of human hearts. They hurt themselves and each other constantly. Maybe that's also why Narnians didn't like Telmarines at first, since they originally came from this world... They were probably as stupid as people here – no offence to you, Caspian. And of course humans always go to war. Aaaah how I despise humans!"

Caspian gazed at Lucy with worry. She was spiteful and cruel in her choice of words. He couldn't understand how one could hate its own species so much.

"Lucy... I don't think humans are as bad as you think. They fight and make mistakes, but they feel. They feel joy, pain, love and sorrow and when they have felt all feelings that the world could offer them, they join Aslan's side."

She looked at him, her face completely blank. Then, he saw a sad glimmer appear in her eyes.

"Maybe I'm the worst. I haven't felt anything except for sadness and anger in a long, long time. Actually, I'm horrible! I'm badmouthing all humanity because of my own helplessness..."

"No Lucy, you can't say this! You are a wonderful person. It's just that you are living a low point in your life right now."

She didn't even bother hiding her scepticism. _What a cute, naive fool._ Feeling that this conversation would lead nowhere, she chose not to answer and just stared at the bottom of her cup. After a moment of silence, she raised her head again and said:

"Caspian, do you mind telling me about Narnia? How is everyone?"

"Sure. First, tell me, how many years have passed since you last left Narnia?"

"Two."

"Oh. I would have thought less. Then you must be seventeen by now."

She nodded.

"Well in Narnia, it has been three years since the last time Edmund the Just and Lucy the Valiant have set a foot on its grounds. And even though the King of Narnia is a young fool, somehow he managed to keep his country safe and sound."

She chuckled.

"The absence of Reepicheep is a great loss to Narnian army and sense of pride, but the other mice try their best to stimulate the poor soldiers. In fact, a lot of them are quite glad not to have him picking on them anymore. Your dear little friend is going quite well, living his own ways, often disappearing for days in the forest. Personally, I suspect him of visiting his old friend Trufflehunter. Captain Drinian still counsels the king, with the hope of teaching him prudence and reason but personally, I think this is a lost matter. The Dawn Treader..." his face darkened. "The Dawn Treader was burnt down by the enemy."

Lucy gasped. "How could this happen? Is Narnia not at peace?"

"Not anymore. Right now, there is a war going on. Actually, I was in the midst of a battle when Aslan called me. It could have turned out pretty ugly for me if I had stayed. I hope my men will be safe..."

"But who are you fighting?"

"It's Calormen! Right now, there are more Calormene soldiers on our grounds than there have ever been. Apparently they found a way to cross the desert and they attacked us without a warning, about two weeks ago. I wonder what kind of dark magic supported their evil goals... But they are strong and I fear that many men will die in the fights. I hope Aslan knows what he is doing by sending me away from my troops…"

"Oh, how I wished I was there to help! Narnia needs me!" Lucy desperately cried out. Then she lowered her head, shamefully, and whispered softly: "No, it is I who needs Narnia... I just can't live on like this."

Caspian shifted his head and looked at the fragile young girl in front of him. Her long, dark hair hid half of her pale face, not quite disguising the late roundness of her cheeks, and her thin neck and wrist nearly disappeared in her oversized jumper. He suddenly wanted to hug her, to comfort her for her loss. Because it was a loss, he now realised. Aslan had locked the doors of the place she loved most, telling her that she could never come back.

For Lucy, Narnia was as good as dead and could only live on in her memories. _No wonder she feels so bitter about the place she is condemned to stay in._

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**That was it. So, how did you like it? You can tell me by writing a message in the lovely "review"-bow just beneath this. Sroll down a little... there you have it.**

**No hints about next chapter this time ;)**


	4. Chapter 3

**Enjoy!**

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**Chapter 3**

Caspian was the first one to hear the footsteps outside of the house. Then, the clicking noise of someone searching for the key made Lucy jump out of her seat.

"Ehm Caspian, I don't think my mother would be very pleased about having an uninvited guest. Especially not a grown man." She said nervously.

"I understand. Where should I hide?"

She heard the door open and didn't have time to think of a hiding place anymore. She pushed Caspian in the kitchen, cursing the non-existence of a door.

"Hide!" she whispered between gritted teeth and turned to face the entrance.

The person has finished hanging up his coat in the wardrobe and stepped into the living room. When Lucy saw his face, she let out the breath she had been holding.

"Edmund!"

"Hullo Lu. How was your day?" said Edmund with a smile.

"Well same as always I suppose."

"So not good." It wasn't really a question and she frowned.

"I forgot my umbrella at home and had to walk all the way back under the rain." Lucy complained.

"Is that why you needed two cups of tea?" he asked, pointing at the objects on the table.

Lucy didn't answer. _Should I tell him Caspian is here? _A part of her wanted to keep it a secret from her brother; she wanted to keep the Narnian and his tales to herself. But then she shook her head. Had she become so greedy?

"We have a guest." She announced lightly.

"Oh really? I thought we didn't expect anyone today."

"Well we sure didn't. You won't guess who it is."

"Well how should I know? Someone unexpected, huh? Is it Elton? No. Maybe… did Pete come home early? I know he's only supposed to arrive in two days but…"

Lucy snickered. Edmund was surprised at her cheerfulness. Of course she wasn't laughing and jumping around like when she was a child, but it was still something.

"Caspian!" Lucy called out.

Edmund's eyes widened. It couldn't be. But then he saw the young man step out of the kitchen with a wide smile on his lips. _Aslan has sent him! _He prayed. The two men faced each other and then fell into a brotherly embrace.

"Caspian, what wonder sent you to England?"

"It was Aslan of course!" Caspian laughed. "He felt that I was needed here."

"Aslan did?" Edmund wondered. "But did he tell you why?"

"Well," Caspian cast a glance at Lucy. "he said that the young lady over there was in terrible need and that I should save her. I am supposed to bring Queen Lucy the Valiant back."

"Back?" Lucy asked, uncertain. "You mean to Narnia?"

"I don't know. What do you think, Edmund?"

"I have no idea."

Caspian sighed, remembering Aslan's words: _"They can't do anything, for they do not know what she is facing. You alone will be able to reach her, if she lets you."_ If nobody knew what the problem was, he would have a tough time trying to solve it.

"Anyway, I'm glad to see you." Edmund smiled.

"As I am to see you two." Caspian answered.

"But what do you plan on telling mum?" Edmund asked Lucy.

"Good question…" she answered." Maybe you can tell her he is your friend? That would look less suspicious."

"Probably. But still, he's an uninvited guest and we don't know how long he is going to be staying."

Lucy shrugged. "Tell her he ran away from home or something like that."

"I don't think it would be believable if you told her that I am from here. I don't know anything about this world…" Caspian pointed out.

Edmund and Lucy looked at each other. She sighed, tired of searching for solutions. He frowned, trying to find a plausible explanation:

"We can say that you are a foreigner. You have a slight accent, dark hair, and your skin is so sunburnt that you couldn't possibly be from England. It could work."

"Maybe…" Lucy didn't seem convinced.

Caspian, on the contrary very enthusiastic, replied: "We can do that!"

"Right. Well, I'll ask her."

"Good. Because she's here." Lucy announced.

The door closed and they heard a shuffle of coats. Then Mrs. Pevensie entered the room.

"Hello children! We have a guest?"

"Yes, it's my friend Caspian. He's new at our school so I invited him over." Edmund explained.

"I see. And why does he wear Peter's old clothes?"

"That is because he got wet under the rain so I have him something to change himself."

"Is that so? You did well. Nice to meet you Caspian. Where are you from?"

"I am from Narnia, milady. It is a small country very far away from here."

Lucy raised an eyebrow and Edmund shook his head, secretly laughing.

"It's an island mum, near the South American coast." He lied.

"Really? I have never heard of such a country… you should tell us more about it Caspian." She smiled. "Why don't you stay for dinner?"

Caspian grinned and, with a small bow, he answered "It would be my pleasure. I long to discover English customs."

Mrs. Pevensie giggled and answered: "Well I am not such a great cook but I'll try to make you something typically English."

"I am sure that it will be delicious." Caspian said.

She smiled. "Well then why don't you two go up to Ed's room?"

They nodded and left. Lucy followed them without a word. Mrs. Pevensie sighed at her daughter's coolness. Then she went to the kitchen and took out her grandmother's recipe book.

* * *

When they were in the room, Edmund started laughing out loud.

"You made my mother – giggle!"

Caspian smiled brightly.

"Well I have learned how to be diplomatic…"

"That's not being diplomatic, that's seducing." Edmund corrected him, still hilarious.

"Seduction is a very important part of diplomacy, have you never learned that as a king?"

"Well most of the time, Susan was seducing more than was good for us – I mean think of the incident with prince Rabadash…"

Caspian blushed as he thought about Susan. How beautiful she was, with her long, chocolate curls, her proud, blue eyes, her perfect lips… He could still feel the faint taste of the sweet kiss they had shared six years ago.

"Oh." Lucy's eyes were glimmering with malice. "You are one of those who were tamed by Susan, aren't you?"

Caspian frowned and bit his lip.

"That's… not true." He protested feebly.

Edmund and Lucy looked at him sufficiently.

"We have seen hundreds of these love-trembling younglings. You can't fool us." Edmund told him. "But you know what, I don't mind. You are definitely good enough for her."

"Actually, the question would more be, is she good enough for you?" Lucy whispered. "She has forgotten all about Narnia, you know? I think the only remaining part of the Susan you loved would be her beauty. Ha! But then, maybe that is enough for you…?"

"Do you think so lowly of me?" Caspian snapped. "I do not care for shallow beauty. But I don't believe that Queen Susan could be shallow."

"Queen Susan doesn't exist anymore." Edmund said. "As much as I love my sister, I can tell you that she doesn't have the qualities you seek in her. Of _course_ she is not shallow, but she's definitely different."

Caspian seemed disappointed by his words.

"Let's not talk about Susan." Lucy said. "I prefer hearing about Narnia…"

"Lucy! Edmund!" their mother called out from downstairs. "Supper!"

"We're coming mum!" Edmund shouted back. He then turned towards his sister and friend. "Let's go. And, Caspian? Don't make her fall for you please."

He smirked and Caspian laughed.

"I will try my best."

* * *

The siblings' mother had prepared mashed potatoes and beef – not a particularly exotic dish, she had to admit, but it was always nice and it was one of the rare dishes where all her children would dig in and eat without complaining. Since Caspian came from far away, it would be even more exotic for him and she hoped he would appreciate it. _But it's really basic, what if they also prepare it in Narna_? She tossed that thought aside. As long as everyone was happy with her cooking, she would be happy.

Edmund came running down the stairs and the two others followed more slowly.

"Lucy dear, could you please set the table?" she asked.

Lucy groaned but eventually did what she was asked to.

"Boys, you can sit down." She told them, while preparing a salad.

Soon, dinner was ready and they all sat down and started chatting merrily. The young boy was charming; complimenting her about her cooking and telling stories of Narna. Apparently she had misheard the name the first time: it was called Narn_i_a, not Narna. And it looked like such a pleasant place! Maybe, when the war was over, they could go and visit with the whole family?

Edmund kept an honourable amount of conversation. He seemed to be in a good mood, which pleased her; she was grateful that he was no longer sulking over every little detail of his siblings' actions like he used to. But then, Peter and Susan weren't there anymore, which was probably the main reason for his positive attitude.

Lucy was rather silent but Mrs. Pevensie had gotten herself used to it. It was sad really, that her daughter was so gloomy. Very often, at night, the worried mother thought hard, trying to figure out a way to help Lucy regain her smile, in vain. She noticed that she and Caspian exchanged quite a few glances throughout the dinner. She wondered if they already knew each other…

When she was about to go and get the dessert, she remembered that she had something to tell her children. She quickly went to get the cheese cake she had bought earlier this afternoon and cut it into six pieces. Then she handed a piece to each of the children.

"I have to tell you something: starting from tomorrow, I'm going to be away." She announced to them.

"What, really? Why?" Edmund wondered.

"Your grandmother is very sick so I am going to stay at her side until she gets better."

"But Peter is going to be here next week…" Lucy protested.

"You'll have to give him an extra hug for me and who knows, grandma might be cured sooner than expected!"

"It would really be a shame if he doesn't get to see you! Maybe we can tell Pete, and he could come later." Edmund proposed.

"I don't know, he has already booked his plane ticket…"

"I'll call him, he'll tell us what he thinks." The younger brother said.

"Do what you want" his mother gave in.

She wondered how long she would be away. A week, maybe two? She didn't like the idea of leaving her children alone at home for too long. Of course they were big enough; Edmund was 18 already and Lucy was 17, but she couldn't help but worry. _It must be a mother's nature._ She thought. How troublesome.

Mrs. Pevensie was also worried about her mother: she had been sick for quite a time now and she probably wouldn't last long on Earth anymore. _Everything is going to be all right._ As a soldier's wife, she was used to constant worry, the only antidote to which was blind faith.

Her husband would come home safe. Peter as well. Her mother wouldn't die. Susan would soon find a reasonable husband. The war would end before Edmund's school year did because otherwise he would have to leave for the battle front as well. Lucy would find a fine man who would cheer her up again. Of course the chances of everything going the way she hoped them to go were very low, but after repeating these wishes to herself day after day, she had started to believe them.

While she was thinking, the children had continued talking and suddenly Edmund asked:

"Mum, if you're not going to be here, can I invite Caspian to stay over for the time? He's definitely reasonable and he would be good company…"

"I suppose you can, Edmund. At least _I_ don't mind. But what about your parents, Caspian?"

Caspian shrugged. Somehow, there was sadness in his eyes.

"They will be perfectly fine with it. I must say, me and my parents are not on best terms right now so it would do us good to stay away from each other for a while so we can cool down…"

Mrs. Pevensie nodded. The poor boy!

"If that's the case you are welcome to stay at my house. But you two will go to bed early and do your work, is that clear?"

Edmund laughed. "Yes mum! Thank you mum!"

Caspian thanked her as well, truly grateful.

"Well then, up to your room you two. Lucy, help me clean the dishes please."

"Yes ma" she sighed.

* * *

**So, what did you think? I kind of liked introducing Mrs. Pevensie but since there's nothing very passionating happening, I'm not so sure about this chapter... I hope you found it interesting!**

**Please tell me eveything... in a review!**


	5. Chapter 4

**Hello people! It seems like the project of publishing once a week was VERY stupid - that is to say absolutely impossible to accomplish. But I'll still try to write as fast as I can of course.**

**So this chapter... I kind of like it. It's a bit dark but you finally have a real Lucy-Caspian moment, even though it's not in a particularly romantic way (funny cause at first I was planning on having a Lucy-Edmund moment... but we'll see more of Edmund in the next chapter.)**

**Have fun reading! :)**

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**Chapter 4**

This night, Lucy slept unwell. The thoughts that had kept rummaging inside of her head, preventing her from falling asleep for hours, were now disturbing her rest and penetrating her dreams.

At first, she had been happy. It was a reserved, conditional joy but still a feeling different from the ones that usually lulled her asleep. Caspian's arrival was like a gift from Aslan. If she couldn't leave for Narnia, it would be Narnia that would come to her, she was now sure. She was Narnia's queen! Her land couldn't possibly persist happily without her, this just couldn't be. She hoped Caspian would stay forever – or come and go between the worlds to keep her up with the news from her beloved country. And maybe – maybe – Aslan would send other folks from the castles and woods of Narnia. Or (and she didn't dare to hold onto that foolish hope) maybe Aslan had sent Caspian to bring her back.

_No. Of course not._

Lucy's mood was falling like a stone that had been thrown off a cliff. Her hopes were wilting away like a flower that had been cut and exposed to the sun without a drop of water. These ideas were just illusions. She wasn't like her mother, able to believe blindly that everything would go just fine. Sometimes, you had to be realistic or else you would be crushed alongside your hopes when you faced the facts. Because everything – _everything!_ – was just so unfair. The whole world! The disappointment that gained her at this realisation unchained a tornado of negative feelings inside of Lucy's mind.

There was anger first, quickening her breath and contracting her muscles until they were sore. Anger at Susan, for being beautiful and successful – everything Lucy wasn't, but more importantly for having forgotten Narnia. Anger at her mother, for treating her like a vice-housewife, for ignoring her sadness and only complaining about her gloominess. Anger at Peter, for being away, fighting for ridiculous causes of a ridiculous country. Anger at Edmund, for living his life and accepting to let Narnia be just a happy memory that would eventually fade. Anger at her schoolmates, for being dumb materialist humans and not wonderful magic creatures. Anger at Caspian, for coming to this world only to remind her of what she could never regain. Anger at herself, for being so helpless. Anger at Aslan, for having cast her out of her true home.

Then, sadness flowed over her and tears started to fall, wetting her cushion and leaving her sobbing and choking and crying. How could she ever be angry at all these people she loved dearly? _Oh Aslan forgive me!_ She just wanted to go back in time, were everything was so simple, where she knew what to do and where to go. She wanted to talk to her siblings so badly, tell them all her worries and simply cry in their arms! But she could imagine the surprised look on their faces when she would tell them, then the disappointment. Lucy knew that she _had_ to let go of Narnia, but her heart was aching just at the thought of it. She refused to forget or to move on to something else. Narnia had spread its roots inside of her, leaving her no choice but to hang on to it. Ripping it out would hurt too much.

When finally the torrent of tears ebbed away, there remained nothing but emptiness. Vacuum. She was floating somewhere in-between worlds. Around her there was nothing but darkness. And a dark mist, blacker than black, colder than death, advancing slowly towards her. Lucy stared emotionlessly at the pitch-black fog that was about to swallow her whole. She could feel an icy, wet touch crawling up her left leg. Maybe if she let it eat her up, she wouldn't have to feel again? That would be good. Emotions were evil, only tearing her apart.

She continued to contemplate her sinister surroundings. _If it's the night, then why aren't there any stars?_ She wondered. _I love stars._ Slowly, panic gained her. The absence of feelings was a good thing. But darkness was lonely and scary. There was no light, no warmth. Only emptiness, darkness and cold, thick fear. The blackness was pressuring her. Her lungs had seized to function and her heart was slowing down, to weak, too cold, too lonely, too far away from home and from Aslan. Wouldn't someone come and save her? Anyone!

Lucy woke up in a jerk, coughing and breathing and panting loudly. She couldn't remember when, in the storm of thoughts, she had fallen asleep. Slowly, she pulled herself into a sitting position, trying to regain control of herself. Carefully, she inhaled, exhaled, inhaled, exhaled… Somehow, she was scared, as if the remainders of a nightmare were still clinging to her, like a small but heavy something that wouldn't let go. But what was it? Lucy frowned, trying to remember the dream that had caused her to wake up so violently but the memory was too vague, already vanishing.

But even though the reason for it was running through her fingers like water, fear was still gripping her, tightening her throat and weighing on her chest. It was a fear of the unknown, a fear of finally and completely being left behind. Lucy felt terribly sad and lonely.

* * *

Caspian groaned in his sleep, turning around under the warm sheets. Warm was good, warm was safe. He pulled the blanket over his head, searching for more warmth. Suddenly, a short pain around his hips woke him up. With sleepy eyes he gazed across the room but everything was still and silent. Edmund tuned over next to him, lightly snoring and Caspian realized that it was the boy who had hit him with his elbow.

He was about to hit Edmund back, out of sheer annoyance for his disturbed rest, when he heard footsteps at the door. Automatically, he reached for his sword but only seized thin air – he had left the weapon on the beach, in Narnia. His senses were now completely awake and the silence was as clear as crystal in his ears, only disturbed by Edmund's snoring and his own controlled breath.

Then, the sound of a hand brushing against wood. The door was slowly opening, one millimetre after another. Soon the person who was pushing it would be visible. Caspian hold his breath in anticipation. And there she was, a frail silhouette lit only by the silver moonlight that was flowing through a small window in the corridor. Her hair was dancing with the light like a crown and shimmering particles were descending upon her, twirling in the air like snowflakes. He could not distinguish her facial expression in the darkness but somehow she seemed sad and lost, not able to fill all the space that her body materially should be.

"Ed?" a small voice asked and suddenly Caspian could see the scared little girl that needed comfort from a bad dream.

He stood up cautiously and crossed the few meters that separated him from the door.

"Edmund's sleeping." He explained at her surprised look. "Let's not wake him, shall we?"

He put a hand on her shoulder and smiled at her. She was trembling. After a short silence, she whispered:

"Caspian… Do you mind hugging me?"

With a perplexed smile he answered:

"Not at all, Lucy."

He pulled her into an embrace and she buried her face on his chest. He could feel her irregular heartbeat, as fast as if she had just sprinted up and down the staircase. Her hands were ice cold and she was shivering.

Tenderly, he stroked her hair, remembering the old days when they chased around the woods of Narnia and her laughter rang in his ears, clearer than any lute of Cair Paravel. Years had passed since that time but somehow, it seemed to him as if she had grown backwards, back to being a self-conscious, easily frightened little girl. Then he realized that there was the problem: that Lucy had never been an easily frightened little girl – she was the bravest woman he had ever met. _No, she _had been _the bravest._ He corrected himself. Then _maybe_, she had not grown backwards but had just taken the wrong path, the one that led to a darker future?

After a while, Lucy stopped trembling. She still didn't move but she looked relieved in a way.

"Do you want to go outside for a walk and we'll talk?" he proposed.

"No!" she replied briskly. "Outside is cold! Cold and dark!"

Lucy shivered. A vague sensation from her dream was still clinging to her – a feeling of cold, dark desperation. Right now she longed for warmth and light.

Caspian shrugged, perplexed at her refusal.

"Then let's just stay here. You can still explain to me what is bothering you."

"I don't know, I… I'm not sure myself what the problem is." She admitted shamefully. "I suppose I just had a bad dream… I can't even remember."

"I see… Well just think that it wasn't real. Everything is fine. You have nothing to fear, you are at home, safe and sound, and you're not alone." He tried to console her.

"I'm not so sure about that last one… Because I feel lonelier than ever."

"But you're not! I am here, Edmund is here, your mother is here. Even though I'm the only one awake, you are surrounded by people who care for you and who are always here for you. And of course, you could never be completely alone, as you have Aslan watching over you and accompanying you every day of your life."

A veil of sadness clouded Lucy's eyes. Slowly, she said:

"But where is he? Where is Aslan? Why won't he come to me?"

Caspian was taken aback by her plea. Never, not in his darkest nightmares would he have imagined that Queen Lucy would doubt Aslan's presence. She had always been closer to him than anyone, always believing in him, even when all hopes were lost. He remembered clearly how every single day she taught everyone to never give up their faith in the Great Lion. Her heart had been wide open to his breath and she would have accepted and accomplished anything that he would have wanted. And now… She had lost grip on her faith, on her life. Aslan was just a happy memory, slowly fading as time went by.

"Oh Lucy." He sighed. "What has happened to you?"

Gently, he stroked her cheek, causing no reaction whatsoever, no change in her facial expression. The emptiness in her eyes frightened him. Clearly, something had to be done, and be done quickly.

"Let's go to sleep Lucy, we'll talk tomorrow, when our minds will be clearer." He suggested.

She nodded and, after a moment of hesitation, she turned around and walked back towards her room. Caspian observed her small back thoughtfully until she turned around a corner. Then he went back into the room and quietly closed the door behind him.

* * *

**That's it. So, how did you like it? You can tell me right below, by reviewing.**

**In the next chapter... we'll see Caspian discover the world he has landed in a bit more!**


	6. Chapter 5

**I know it took me really long to upload this chapter, sorry, but here you are! (I cut it into 2 because it was too long though, so it ends in the middle of the day).**

**Enjoy!**

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**Chapter 5**

The next morning, Edmund woke up difficultly, reaching blindly for his alarm clock. The shrill noise of the alarm was piercing his ears and his clouded mind was only wishing for one thing: for it to stop so that he could go back to sleep. His hand searched on the night table until it bumped against something cold – with a loud noise the ringing object fell on the ground and Edmund stood up, cursing. He took the alarm clock from the ground and pushed the off-button, before throwing the annoying thing on his bed.

Caspian was already up, his eyes fixated on the alarm clock. His eyebrows were twitching – half-horrified, half-fascinated, he was wondering what this strange object was. Maybe it was an animal with a piercing voice, for Edmund had gotten upset at it. Maybe it was dangerous – the noise of it wasn't friendly at least. Caspian looked up, a questioning look on his face.

"What is this?" he prudently asked.

"Just an alarm clock. It wakes me up so I don't come late to class."

"How bizarre. Your world is full of strange things, Edmund."

Edmund couldn't help but smirk. Caspian was still so new to the human world... that this was going to be a fun day.

"Well let's get dressed for breakfast. I'll give you Peter's old school uniform and you'll come to school with us."

Caspian nodded. When he started changing, Edmund noticed a dark line on the king's leg.

"Caspian, are you wounded?" Edmund asked.

Caspian shrugged before answering:

"I was in the midst of a battle when Aslan called me and I must admit that during this fight my opponent's sword penetrated through my barrier and inflicted me this minor injury. But this is not a matter of concern."

"Can I take a closer look?"

"Of course."

Edmund frowned at the sight that offered itself to him. The wound seemed deeper than what Caspian had implied and the skin around it was starting to form a reddish halo.

"I think it is infected, you should get some care." Edmund noted.

"If you think it's necessary… but I assure you that I can walk perfectly normally."

"I think I'll call Lucy, she knows a lot more about healing than me."

Edmund left the room to get his sister. Caspian waited patiently for their return, his mind already drifting off to what this world would offer him today. It seemed to be full of strange objects and he concluded that it must be older than Narnia for man had had time to invent a large diversity of devices. He hoped that as the day went on he would be able to understand more of what was going on around him and therefore become wiser and more able to be the King, even if it was in another world.

"Caspian." Lucy called out.

There were dark circles under her eyes, which were still red and swollen from the last night's crying. She had already dressed and her hair was tightly braided. At the sight of Caspian she slightly blushed and looked away, embarrassed by his light clothing – he was only wearing boxers. Then she faced him again, concentrated on his leg this time.

"That is quite a nasty injury you have." Lucy said.

"Not really…"

Lucy ignored Caspian's protest and put the silver box that she had previously been holding on the bed. The box was shining and had a red cross painted upon it. Caspian guessed that it must be very valuable but before he could emit any further inquiry, Lucy opened the box. Inside, Caspian could spot bandages, a pair of scissors and two small bottles with dark liquid in them. Lucy took out one of the bottle and opened it, before humidifying a piece of cotton with the brown substance. She then applied it on his wound. The sharp pain that the contact brought with it took Caspian off guard and he breathed in sharply.

"What is this?" he inquired.

"It's alcohol. It makes the injury clean so that it doesn't get infected." Lucy explained, softly rubbing the wet cotton against the King's burning skin.

She then gave the cotton to Edmund, who threw it into a bin, and took a thin stripe of white cloth which she tied around Caspian's leg. After the bandage was finally wrapped around the wound, she took what seemed to be a silver needle that had been twisted in a way for both end to touch each other and fixed the plaster with it.

"Aaaand… finished." Lucy said. "Now get dressed quickly or you won't have time to eat before going to school. You too, Ed."

Caspian nodded. Edmund had been watching the scene and smiled slightly; Lucy was being overly maternal. She reminded him a lot of Susan in that aspect. Their big sister had always been the bossy one, ordering them around and caring for them when their mother was absent but it seemed like Lucy had inherited a part of that character.

"Yes mum!" he pouted playfully and his smile widened at the sight of the amusement that lit his sister's eyes.

After a quick breakfast where Caspian got confused by a confrontation with toasted bread and butter, the three of them were off to school. They had nearly forgotten to say goodbye to Mrs. Pevensie but then Edmund had remembered in time that they would probably not see her for a few weeks and had awkwardly hugged her before leaving the house.

Caspian, Edmund and Lucy arrived at school just as the bell went and so they had to dash to their classrooms. They had previously arranged that, as Caspian was somehow supposed to help Lucy, he would go to class with her. Therefore it was up to her to present him to her teachers and classmates.

Lucy had maths in her first period, which she was secretly grateful for, as her maths teacher was a rather weak character that would certainly not object her bringing in Caspian. On the other hand, she dreaded the upcoming English lesson with Miss Trott, who was known for being very strict and hating everything that didn't go according to her plans. With a thumping chest they arrived in front of the classroom and Lucy knocked on the door before opening it.

"Oh, Miss Pevensie! Can you please not interrupt the lesson and be on time?" the teacher cried when he saw her.

"Sorry Mister Andrews." Lucy answered. "I had to fetch my cousin at the train station. He is coming to visit and has travelled all the way from India to see us."

"Well that is very nice but not very relevant…" he complained, before spotting Caspian behind her shoulder. "Oooh. And you brought that fellow with you?"

"That's exactly it. May he watch the lesson?"

"Well… I suppose he can. Go on and sit over there." Mister Andrews said, pointing Caspian the way to an empty chair in the back of the classroom. He and Lucy strolled to their seats and sat down. In the last minute, Lucy whispered:

"This lesson is probably going to be very confusing for you, so try and act natural."

Caspian nodded very seriously. He understood that Lucy was trying to conceal his identity, even if the reason for it wasn't very clear. He would try to blind in as much as he could. He observed the other students and noted that all of them had parchment and small, thin objects on their desks.

Caspian opened the bag Edmund had given him and took out a piece of white, perfectly cut parchment (it must have cost very much). He also saw a leather purse, closed with a silver strand, which he put on his desk. He pulled on the surprisingly hard cord and it glided to the opposite end of the purse, without detaching itself from it. Now, the purse was open and Caspian had to remind himself to act natural to not gasp at this strange object.

Inside of it, there were three sticks, on blue, on black, one red. They were the same type as those that the other children around him had and he saw a few of them using them to write. They seemed to be the quills of this world. But which end was he supposed to write with? He tried both, without success.

With a sigh, he gave up and decided to contemplate his surroundings. Lucy was writing something on her parchment, her eyes unfocused, and frequently yawning. She was hunched over her table, seemingly too tired to sit upright and he asked himself if it had not been the only night in which she hadn't gotten much sleep.

He turned his head slightly and met the gaze of a girl about Lucy's age that was staring at him. She blushed and turned away from him. The girl that was sitting next to her started giggling and soon they were both silently laughing, while sending Caspian burning looks with batting eyelashes. He didn't think much about it, as he was used to constant courting of Cair Paravel's ladies.

Caspian smiled at them and then focused his attention on the teacher. He was a small, thin man with nervous features and a loud voice. While talking to the class, he was wringing his hands continuously and from time to time drying the thin layer of sweat that covered them on his trousers. He was pacing up and down and stopped only to write things on the polished, black stone wall. Caspian tried to figure out what it was that he was talking about but the man seemed to be telling a rather strange story, in which he didn't understand all the words and facts.

"…he then has to sell a part of his property so that x equals 0. Knowing that he can divide the land in exactly 83 equal portions, each worth between 1.000 and 3.500 pounds depending on their location – I advise you to watch the diagram I drew on the blackboard carefully – and knowing also that the transition fees are of 560 pounds pro portions, how many and which portions does he have to sell to clear his debt, which is – as I remind you – of exactly 12.000 pounds?"

Mister Andrews looked at his class expectantly but met only bored and confused gazes. He sighed.

"I will repeat the question and you will note it down. You then have 15 minutes to solve the equation. If somebody doesn't understand something, please raise your hand. Now take your pens… Tom is in possession of a great estate, worth 58.000 pounds…"

Caspian went back to observing the upper school graders.

At the back three boys were talking. As he was sitting near to them, he could distinguish a few words of their half-whispered conversation but after hearing "shagging", "enoooourmous tits, you know" and "I could throw her onto the desk right now" he decided that they were not worth his attention.

The girl to his left was sleeping, her head lying on her arms. She had not even opened her bag.

The two girls that he had caught giggling at him before were now looking at the teacher and taking notes eagerly.

In the front row, a meagre fellow was already calculating the math problem.

Lucy was writing with her head on her left arm, the writing stick only a few inches away from her nose.

Most of the students just seemed tired and bored and Caspian wondered why the teacher just kept talking if what he said didn't interest his listeners. If teaching was his job and if he wanted his students to learn anything, he should be able to get their attention.

After a while, a piercing sound ran through the room and the students packed their belongings and left the room. Lucy nodded at Caspian and he imitated the gesture. Once outside of the classroom, he looked at Lucy expectantly.

"What's next?"

"Well… I have English. I mean _we_ have English. The room is at the end of the corridor below."

They found themselves in front of the door with five other students from the maths class. There were other teenagers that were waiting with them as well. Soon enough, a severe-looking woman with a tight ponytail opened the door from the inside and let out a flow of students. Caspian thought that maybe she had something to discuss with them after class was over. With a dry smile, she gestured them in. Lucy grabbed Caspian's arm as he attempted to follow the flow and pulled him towards the woman.

"Good morning, Miss Trott." Lucy said.

"Good morning Miss Pevensie. Is something the matter?"

"Well, my cousin has come to visit from India and he would like to come to class with me. Would it be in order for him to watch your lesson?"

Caspian noted that the class was silent and that all students were looking at them. He met quite a few curious looks but the most inquisitive one was Miss Trott's. She was observing him with sharp eyes and he smile apologically.

"He may stay, Miss Pevensie, but I have to say that I do certainly not appreciate your asking for permission in last minute. You," she pointed at Caspian "what is your name?"

"My name is Caspian, dear Madam. And I thank you for accepting me."

A little more pleased, Miss Trott told them to sit down. They obliterated and the lesson started.

The stern teacher stared talking about a poem on London (which seemed to be a city) by someone called William Blake and Caspian watched all students take out their pens and write things on their parchments. In this class there wasn't much to observe exept the teacher, as everyone was more or less listening. The occasional chatting was cut off by the teacher every time and Caspian spent the hour listening to a very deep interpretation of this poem.

When the loud noise that had marked the end of the last lesson rang, Miss Trott simply kept talking. Caspian noted signs of impatience from the students but no protest was emitted. After the five longest minutes of her lesson, the teacher finally said:

"You may go."

With a loud ruffle, everyone stood up and left the room hurriedly. Caspian and Lucy followed the movement and soon found themselves outside of the building in what seemed to be a small court. Without a word, Lucy walked towards a bench and sat down. Caspian sat beside her.

"Lucy, I was wondering… how do you use a writing stick?"

She blinked. Then she asked:

"What do you mean by writing stick?"

"Well the sticks you people use to write during the lessons…"

"Oh. Yeah, that's a pen."

"And how do you use it?"

"You take the cap off and then you just write… It's not that complicated is it?"

"Ooooh! There's a cap, that's why." Caspian laughed.

He spotted Edmund coming towards them with a smile.

"Caspian, Lu, how was class?"

"Fine." Lucy grumbled.

"Quite strange, I have to say." Caspian answered.

"Do you have a lot of classes left?"

"Just two hours of PE. Then we can go home and eat." Lucy said.

"Aaah now that's unfair! I still have two hours of class after lunch!" Edmund complained.

"It's alright Ed. You're going to survive." Lucy smiled.

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**That's it for now. Review please?**


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

"PE was hell!" Lucy said.

Caspian and her were at the Pevensie's house, eating a dish of lasagne. She was chewing on the pasta with rage, in memory of the two worst hours of the day.

"Why is that?" Caspian asked. "I thought it was rather fun…"

"Well of _course_ you would." She snapped "You had all these girls flirting with you and giggling all the time. Like they haven't seen a real guy for years!"

Lucy shook her head. She knew she was being unfair – the girls wouldn't screech like that for any guy, it was just that Caspian had been astonishing in splendour. She could remember vividly every detail of his appearance in the gymnasium; wiping casually a few raven hair strands that were falling in front of his eye, a confident smirk on his royal face, the tight sports shirt showing his muscular shoulders and arms, brown from the sun… How could they not fall for him? She herself had felt her chest tighten at the sight of him.

She knew that he was one of the best swordfighters of Narnia so it was no wonder that he had mastered all tasks faster and better than any other guy. He had climbed the ropes like it was the easiest thing to do, had jumped farther than anyone without stumbling once and had completed all of this without a drop of sweat. All students had been amazed and the boys had assembled around him, silently agreeing to his domination and avid for instructions and advice. Only a group of four had kept apart, vexed because he had stolen all the attention that was usually directed towards them.

Somehow, Lucy had felt abandoned by him, who was perfectly at ease in the middle of his masculine and feminine admirers. Her Narnian fighting skills had made her one of the fittest girls in her class but she hated PE anyway, because she thought it ridiculous and frustrating. Combined with her annoyance about Caspian, she was in a very bad mood. When on top of that a group of girls had come to question her about her "cousin", the blood had reached her head and she had had difficulties to answer calmly.

"I'm sorry Lucy." Caspian smirked. "Did you feel left out?"

"Not at all!" she snapped.

He looked at her with wide puppy eyes. God, were his eyes dark! Like a sea of chocolate, going through a range of brown and black, from a light milk chocolate shade around the borders of the iris to the darkest shade of black chocolate near the pupil. The charcoal eyelashes that surrounded these warm pools completed the impression of kind obscurity.

Destabilised, Lucy gave in to his look and admitted:

"All right… I did feel left out. Sorry for snapping."

With a candid smile, Caspian patted her head.

"Sorry Lucy. Don't worry; you're the centre of my thoughts. I'm still trying to figure out how I can possibly help you. And that is not only because Aslan requested it from me."

"What do you mean?"

"The fact is: I genuinely care about you, my Queen. You still are one of my closest friends and I can not caution anything that would cause you suffering. Right now, I see clearly that you are unhappy and I fear your letting yourself be eaten up by longing and desperation."

His words spread a warm feeling inside her chest but she kept a stern face. He was right; she was letting herself be overpowered by negative emotions. But how could it not be so? She felt that if she wanted to heal, she would have to see Narnia once again, and that was already out of question. With a deep sigh she stood up to clean the table under Caspian's piercing look.

"I don't know Caspian. You are very dear to me and I don't want you to breed false hopes – only Narnia can bring back life to me like it once was. I am not as unaware of the changes I went through, as you might think: I realise very well that I became sinister and sad – and you may have noticed from Ed's tales that I'm much more lively since you are around – but I am constantly drawn back into memories which make me realise every second that this is not the world my heart belongs to. I don't seem to live, it's a more passive attitude; I'm waiting for a change in my life, while grasping to the past with all my might. This change, maybe it can be you bringing it, I don't know. But your efforts only make me realise to what extend your goal is unattainable. It's already too late."

"What are you saying?" Caspian cried, standing up and grasping her shoulders. "You can't give up just like that. The Lucy I know is the most hopeful little person I have ever met in Narnia or Spare Oom! – I'm not little though, Lucy mumbled – That Lucy is a symbol of courage and faith and her level of hope mounts to certitude and belief!

Do you not remember the long nights at the Stone Table, where everyone thought that no help would come from Aslan, and where only you were the one to cheer up the troops and stir the last remainders of faith in their hearts? At that moment you were like an angel to us, applying soothing balsam to our untrusting hearts, a figure of light shining and anchoring Hope and Trust deeper into our hearts than any of the old tales!"

His speech slashed through her guard like butter and a sharp pain spread in her chest as the memories rose. When she tasted the salt and saw the panicked look on Caspian's face, Lucy realised that she had started crying. Lowering her eyes, she turned her back to him, trying to keep her emotions down and rebuilt a shadow of countenance.

With a strained voice, she articulated:

"It's nothing. You know Caspian; I too, miss these days."

"Lucy…"

"I am not what I was once, you have to understand this! I was happy, carefree, trusting, but all that has now vanished into thin air – maybe even less than that, it has transformed to its opposite: I am sad, lonely and hopeless. May you say what you want, this won't change. I, who once was Valliant, am now nothing more than a broken soul, unable to return to its true body."

"Can I do anything?"

With a swift gesture she turned around to face him again, her eyes determined behind a now usual veil of melancholy. She approached him and placed a swift kiss on his cheek before retreating and saying:

"You are doing enough already Caspian, don't worry too much about it."

* * *

At Edmund's return, Caspian let out a sigh of relief. The company of Lucy was disorienting and pressuring; he still couldn't quite place her. He had the undermining feeling that she was clinging to her pessimism from her own will, and that she wasn't as much overpowered by emotions as she let him believe. Her sudden changes of mood were equally frustrating and during the afternoon she had reminded him of Susan more than once.

"Caspian, Lu! How was your day?" Edmund asked rather tiredly.

"Very… interesting." Caspian said.

"Quite well." Lucy said.

This was enough to pique Edmund's curiosity. He would have expected Caspian to be more enthusiastic than Lucy but somehow she was radiant and he seemed to be brooding over something.

"Did you talk a lot?" he asked cautiously.

With a side glance to Lucy, Caspian said:

"Yes, I think Lucy managed to, in a way, free her emotions in talking to me…"

"Maybe." She admitted.

As they seemed unwilling to go further into detail, Edmund didn't question the content of their conversation, although he was dying to know. He therefore waited for a moment alone with Caspian to corner him into answering.

The occasion came sooner than expected when Lucy drew back into her room.

"So." Edmund said. "What happened?"

"Nothing. We talked."

"And what about?"

Caspian thought for a few seconds before realising that it was easier to just simply tell Edmund everything, so that they could figure out something to do together.

"I directed the conversation towards her ill-being and she got very emotional in defending her impossibility to be how she used to be – she made a clear distinction between the past Lucy and the present Lucy and forbad me to try and change her back. She seemed hostile to any form of "redemption" – or whatever she needs."

"It's funny that you saw her like that, I haven't seen her show any emotions in two years…"

"Maybe the fact that I came from Narnia was a trigger to unleash her."

"That is weirdly phrased but maybe true." Edmund smirked. "But I don't think it is that bad, is it? Maybe she needs a change in air – we could go out together and have fun…"

"Are there feasts being held somewhere near?" Caspian inquired.

"Well, it's war time so people tend to stay at home, but I know some people at school who still throw parties from time to time. Since some of their friends tend to get drunk and therefore are helpless, they organise the night outs in bunkers so that we should be safe if attacked."

Caspian frowned.

"Is this country at war?"

"Yes. It's a world war against some of the neighbouring countries… Here in Britain we are kind of cut off and we resist the attacks more often than we attack but thanks to the help from the US, we are definitely going to win. As soon as I finish school I'll go and fight for my country."

"I understand."

"In the meantime, it has become a rare occasion to have fun so I believe it may be a good idea for Lucy to do something distractive. And we can profit from the fact that mum is not here and come home late. Or not at all."

With a sly smile, Caspian asked:

"You have been wanting to go out for quite a while, haven't you?"

Edmund shrugged but then laughed.

"You got me. It's partly an excuse. But I still think it would do Lucy good."

"Maybe you're right. When does such a "party" take place?"

"I'll call my friend and ask him."

"Call…?"

Caspian observed with wide eyes as Edmund walked to the phone and composed the number. Every click of the dialling wheel made him more curious of the nature of this object. Edmund placed an uneven tube on his ear that was linked to the wheel box on the table through a curly string. Then he started talking into the tube, as if someone was answering him, but Caspian was sure that there was nobody around whom he could be conversing with.

"… You sure? … I don't know, it's kind of rash… … Oh well, we can come anyway. … Right. … Okay, bye!"

Edmund laid the tube down on the box again and turned towards Caspian.

"There is a party, but it's tonight so if we want to go we have to leave in like… half an hour. We have to walk a bit to get there."

"All right but… What is this _thing_?" Caspian asked.

"Oh, it's just a telephone. You can talk to someone who is far away through it."

"How is this possible?"

"It's just… technology. I'm not sure how it works myself. Anyway, we should tell Lucy and ask her what she thinks of going out tonight."

"How strange." Caspian mumbled.

* * *

**Ta-dam! Here we are! How did you like this chapter? Next one is... the party! (I'll have to think about how things can happen in times of war...)**

**Please review 3**

**I'm actually curious: what would you like to happen (next) in the story (now or later, doesn't matter)? If you suggest something good I might add it (so the story isn't too short...).**


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

They ran so not to be late. The bunker was situated 3 miles away from the Pevensies' house and the weather was menacing. Dark clouds were twirling above them in a sickly violet and they could smell rain. At the horizon, bolts of lightning were flashing from time to time but the thunder could not yet be heard.

"There's a thunderstorm coming up." Lucy noticed as they reached the bunker.

"Well you're a clever one to notice!" Edmund mocked her.

She shrugged awkwardly and looked down onto her patent shoes. She was wearing a rather short knee-cut skirt and a marine blouse. She had let her hazel hair down so that it flowed to her shoulders in light curls. Her forehead was free from hair, as she had fixed her fringe with a light blue hair slide. Lucy felt quite uncomfortable, having gotten used to wearing comfortable rather than pretty clothes and she wondered if she would not ruin the happy mood with her depressive attitude.

"Let's go in!" Edmund said, leading her and Caspian down cold stairs.

They reached a dimly lit room with grey walls, barely hid by colourful paper chains. As soon as they entered the room, a boy of Edmund's age with sandy hair and watery eyes came to greet them, a huge smile on his face.

"Eddy my friend, am glad to see you here!" he said joyfully. "Dya bring people?"

"Yes. So, Simon, this is my sister Lucy, and our cousin, Caspian. Guys, this is Simon, my classmate."

Simon shook hands happily with them before facing his friend again.

"Hey Eddy, there's really a lot of people tonight so I'm gonna be pretty busy, but I count on ya to have fun by yourself, alright?"

"No problem!" Edmund said with a smile. "Go and entertain your guests."

And in a low voice, he added confidently:

"I see that Sue is here, make her have the time of her life!"

"You can count on me for that, pal!" Simon said, grinning.

Then, with a nod to the three of them, he left, dashing towards a pretty brunette that was standing in a corner with a rather lost expression on her face. Edmund chuckled and the turned to his "family".

"If you want, I can introduce you to some people so that you know more than just me and Simon."

"That would be lovely." Caspian smirked, feeling that Edmund definitely didn't want to be stuck with his little sister for the whole evening.

Lucy just nodded, her mind focused on a point somewhere far from there. They followed Edmund towards a small group of people that welcomed them with encouraging smiles. Rapidly, Edmund said:

"Hey guys, do you know my sister Lucy? And this is our cousin, Caspian. They don't know anyone here so please be nice to them."

A surprisingly tall girl with mousy hair winked and said:

"Hello Lucy, Caspian. I'm Amy, pleased to meet you."

Then she pointed respectively to a glamorous beauty with a provocative outfit ("This is Doreen."), a huge boy with wide, sympathetic eyes ("That's Charles."), a skinny lad with sharp features and ginger hair ("This is Roger.") and a broad-shouldered, muscular boy with a blinding smile ("And finally, that's Oliver.").

Caspian nodded and said:

"Wait, let me try and repeat; we have first, you, Lady Amy, then Lady Doreen, Sir Charles, Sir Roger and Sir Oliver am I right?"

The two girls giggled and Amy said:

"I'm not so sure about the Lady part though."

"And these guys are certainly not gentlemen." Doreen added with a cute sneer.

Roger, the red-head, sighed and gave Doreen a light clasp on the head.

"You're the one to talk, you are most definitely less a lady than we are sirs!" He said.

"Rogy, do you imply anything? Because if you do…" Doreen hissed dangerously.

Lightly, Edmund interrupted them before a fight could start.

"Well then, I'll go and talk to… you know. Take good care of my family!"

With a wink and a blown kiss to his friends, he left. If Lucy hadn't been indifferent of the people surrounding her, she would have probably gotten mad at him but in the present moment she couldn't be bothered.

Feeling a certain dryness in her throat, she walked over to the buffet and took a glass. Sipping on it, she closed her eyes. She would prefer being at home, so she could lie in her bed and think about what she didn't have. Nibbling on a biscuit, she saw the girl from before, Amy, approach her.

"Hello… Lucy." She said.

"Good day Amy. How is your evening going?" Trying to smile was useless but she could be polite at least, Lucy thought.

"Quite good, quite good. How about yours?"

"Well I just arrived… but this place is… interesting."

"I'm glad you like it."

Lucy put down her now empty goblet and lifted a new one to her lips. This conversation was going to be very boring.

"Do you know… who your brother went talking to?" Amy asked.

"Edmund? No, you heard him as well, he didn't say the name."

Actually, it wasn't that usual for him to be this evasive.

"Oh… so you don't know much about his love life, do you?"

Edmund's love life?

"No… I don't. Do you?"

"Actually yes, I do. He went after this Molly girl… but if you don't even know that…"

"Wait, did you want to learn something else from me?"

Amy seemed to hesitate. After a short pause, she answered, seriously blushing:

"Actually… I quite like your brother. So I wanted to know… if you think it's a lost battle."

Oh. Lucy thought.

"Sorry about that… I don't know who he likes and if you say it's that Molly girl… well I can only tell you that he is very stubborn so making him change his mind is not easy. Not impossible but definitely not easy."

Amy's expression darkened and she seemed on the verge of crying when she said:

"Well thanks anyway Lucy. I'll have to excuse myself for a moment…"

Hiding her face, she left.

Having been only momentarily interested in the conversation (it was about her brother after all), Lucy quickly stopped thinking about Amy's unrequited love. Maybe her love for Narnia was not unrequited (she knew the people love her, she just knew it) but it was more like a long distance relationship with near-impossible communication. Had Narnia and Aslan started to forget her? Or maybe they already had. She shook her head. Having sent Caspian was the proof that she had not been forgotten. It was a uselessly painful thought she had inflicted upon herself.

Lazily, she observed her surroundings, trying to blend out comparisons to other, better places as much as she could. After a few moments, she gave up. Maybe she should do the contrary, blend out the present and think about places that made her happy, as sulking was so much less attractive than dreaming... It wasn't difficult at all since she could simply look at Caspian and imagine him surrounded by his natural habitat.

A small smile crossed her lips. She could replace the grey concrete with great castle walls. The paper garlands could be made beautiful flowers with enchanting sent and colour that the dryads would have gracefully weaved. The people that were just starting to dance and mainly stood by the buffet in small groups could be forest people; fauns, dryads, naiads, centaurs, cyclops, talking animals even… but Narnians. The shallow music played by a black jazz band could be lute, flute, harp, enchanting and bewitching and impossible to resist, stirring to dance. The cheap food could be the most tasteful and amazing work that Narnia's cooks could provide on silver and gold tableware.

And in the middle of this entire joyful feast, there would be King Caspian the tenth. Not talking to brainless human girls and looking at the place with wonder but ruling the feast with kingly presence and charisma, charming the ladies and enjoying the gifts of his people. She could distinctly see the gold crown on his raven hair, the long maroon cape, the beautiful golden patterns on his red clothing.

* * *

Caspian was – of course – surrounded by giggling girls as usual when he noticed the dazed look on Lucy's face. She was staring at him with a faint smile and rosy cheeks, completely unaware of anything that was happening around her. There was a light in her eyes that made him uneasy and he made his way through the crowd towards her.

"Lucy."

No response.

"Lucy!"

She smiled at him and bowed slightly.

"King Caspian what an honour."

Slightly bewildered by her response, he said:

"You shouldn't stand around like that. Try talking to people! You seemed to get along pretty well with Amy before… We brought you here to have fun!"

"I apologise it is terribly rude of me to behave in that way. I was admiring the way you were dealing with your underlings."

"Underlings…?"

"Your feast is magnificent as always, my King. But I believe these damsels await you?"

Lucy pointed gracefully to the pack of girls he had left behind to join her.

"Lucy Pevensie. What are you picturing right now?"

His voice was a growl. Lucy looked up to him in wonder. Why was he mad?

"Why picturing? This feast is too brilliant to want to be anywhere else!"

With a sigh, he put his hand on her forehead. She had to be burning up. Surprisingly, she wasn't much.

"Lucy." He growled. "Come to your senses. We are in your world, in England!"

He saw her turn white with relief. Then, her eyes filled with tears.

"Caspian, I'm sorry, I… I tried to imagine being in Narnia and… you just belong there…"

Caspian bit his lips. He hadn't wanted to make her cry. Uneasy, he shifted from on foot to the other, then he patted her head.

"It's ok Lucy. Everything is fine…"

She managed a watery smile. It wasn't fine but she didn't want to embarrass him further.

"I'll be fine. Go back to your damsels."

"No, I'll stay with you." He protested.

"Please Caspian. Leave me alone. I just need to recollect myself."

He wasn't going to give in like that, he thought, but then she pushed him away with all her strength and rushed to the opposite direction. Wisely, he chose not to follow her. But going back to the girls didn't tempt him at all so he decided to go and look for Edmund.

* * *

** I hoped you liked this chapter. It was really quite agreeable to write so I hope it goes the same for reading.**

**As always, I welcome all favorites and follows and (particularly) reviews. I'm always open to any constructive opinion on what I write (I can't judge myself or it would be biased of course) so feel free!**


	9. Chapter 8

**I posted this real quick I know. I could have made you wait in theory... but I was just too pleased of myself for writing that so quickly. So her we go!**

* * *

**Chapter 8**

Standing in a corner, facing the wall, Lucy was trying to regain control of her features. She had made a complete fool of herself in front of Caspian. Had she only laughed it off as a joke! But no, she had started to cry, making him even more uncomfortable.

I'm such an idiot! She thought.

Somehow, her usually well hidden emotions were surfacing, menacing to throw her off balance every moment. Maybe the light and noise was straining her nerves. Decidedly, she shook her head to wake herself up. This was not the place for mourning her past. Maybe Edmund was right and she had to try and enjoy herself. After all, she had loved to dance and laugh for the most of her life, whether it now seemed far away or not.

She stomped her feet on the ground and then resolutely turned to face the room full of people. Lucy Pevensie was able to have fun. She would show them.

In the meantime, the dance floor had filled with moving teenagers. A little awkward, she walked towards the human flow, not yet enough at ease to simply start dancing. She must have looked lost because one of Edmund's friends from before joined her. The boy was built like a giant, a head taller than most of the remaining boys. He had made a friendly impression on her, not lasting enough for her to remember his name.

"Hi Lucy." He said shyly.

"Hello…" she bit her lip, guilty about forgetting his name.

"Charles. My name's Charles. I know I'm not as remarkable as my other friends. Don' worry 'bout it, I'm not takin' it badly." He shrugged.

"Sorry Charles." She smiled. "But if it can make you feel better, I don't remember the name of the other guy – not Roger, the other one – either."

"Oliver? Really? Now that's more surprising. He's the one all the girls usu'lly see first. He's a ladies' man. Or a player, depends on how you put it. I mean, just look at 'im – with his muscles and charming smile an' all that."

"You're not that bad off with muscles either, you know?"

He blushed.

"Yeah but I'm too big, that's what the girls say… They're scared of me."

"I don't think you're scary. You're too timid for that." Lucy laughed.

Slightly embarrassed, Charles scratched his head. This tiny little girl really wasn't impressed by his height and was nice to him on top of that. The Pevensies were a good family, he decided.

"Now now Charles. You shouldn't go and intimidate little girls." A voice snarled.

They turned towards its owner and Lucy frowned. The guy was tall and well built, except for his nose which had the form of a potato. He had dirty brown hair and an ugly sneer on his face. He was backed up by two bulky boys, one of which was completely bald.

"Andrew." Charles coldly acknowledged him, not daring to talk back.

Said Andrew turned towards Lucy and asked mockingly:

"Hey little girl, what's your name?"

Lucy crossed her arms defensively and answered:

"Lucy Pevensie."

"Did you get scared by the big, stupid Charlie? Don't worry, he doesn't have enough brains to hurt you." Andrew said in a slimy voice.

"For your information, I was just telling Charles that he's not scary at all. And I do _not_ think he's stupid. He's just a bit shy, but seems sweet. So if you have nothing nice to say, you better get the hell away from us. Now."

Lucy felt annoyed by this man, feeling only evil intentions on his side. She wouldn't let him tease Charles, who seemed too intimidated to say anything, as if he was used to being picked on by them. Somehow, the big man had awoken her sympathy and she felt an urge to protect him.

"Oh, Charlie's got an admirer, how unique! You sure you can take her on? She seems like a fierce little wildcat."

As if to illustrate this, Lucy hissed at him.

"We wildcats have claws so you better watch out." She said darkly.

Andrew stared at her for a few seconds, dumbfounded. Then he smiled. It was an evil smile out of which nothing good would come.

"Let's go Charles." She said, taking the man's hand and pulling him away from the three menacing figures.

They arrived at the buffet and Lucy took two goblets for them to drink. Full of rage, she drank hers in one gulp.

"Thanks." Charles said shyly.

"No problem. These guys were prats." She spat.

With a thoughtful look at Lucy, whose red cheeks and fiery eyes resembled those of a warrior, Charles took a sip at the drink Lucy had given him. Then he frowned.

"You know that this is alcohol, right?"

Her questioning look was answer enough. And apparently it wasn't her first glass, judging from her uncertain stance.

"How much did you drink?"

"Only three glasses."

"And did you eat anything?"

"Only a biscuit…"

"Well I think you are probably not far away from being drunk." Charles grumbled.

She laughed at the idea.

"No way. I'm perfectly fine."

With one hand, she was holding onto the table. With the other, she grabbed another drink. Frowning, Charles took it out of her hand.

"That's not a good idea. You're underage, aren't you?"

"I'm seventeen so what? I can take care of myself. I lived a whole lot longer than you might think, boy."

Not quite understanding, Charles shrugged.

"I'm going to fetch your brother. Stay here and no drinks, ok?"

Lucy waved him away with a smile before taking the glass he had put back onto the table. While drinking, she looked around at all the bright lights and colours, all the twirling people, laughing and having fun, and she wondered why she had thought so badly of this party just a few hours before.

"You alone, kitten?"

Lucy quickly turned around only to face the three annoying pricks from before. Her bright mood instantly fell at the sight of them and she snapped:

"What do you want?"

Andrew smiled and took a step towards her.

"Now now, we wouldn't get mad before talking, that would be quite uncivilised, wouldn't it?"

His friends snickered and he dryly gestured them to stop. Then he took a strand of Lucy's hair between his fingers and placed it behind her ear.

Feeling disoriented, Lucy blinked a few times, wondering where her defensive reflexes had gone. All she could do was dumbly stare at him. Her lack of reaction seemed to encourage Andrew and he started to stroke her cheek with his thumb.

_Gross_. Lucy thought.

"Been tamed, haven't we, kitten?" he said smugly. "But don't worry, wild or tamed, I find felines rather attractive… if you know what I mean."

Lucy frowned. Something really was off with this situation. He definitely shouldn't be touching her. She was a queen, damn it! His dirty hands had nothing to do on her face!

With a deadly stare, she smacked his hand out of the way.

"Do you even know who it is you are touching?" she asked, her voice dangerously quiet.

"True, I don't even know your name. Not that it really matters."

He took another step towards her and she drew back, cornered between him and the buffet table. She could feel his lousy breath and instinctively she reached towards her dagger, in case the man tried touching her again. But there was no dagger, she realised with horror.

"Step back." She ordered.

"What if I don't want to?" Andrew asked.

"Step back!" she repeated.

The world around her was imprecise and she could only see, feel and smell him. _Eew_. She wanted to be anywhere but here. Should she try and hit him? But she wasn't sure if a sudden movement would be possible without her finding herself on the ground. And again, the bastard touched her, both hands on her hips this time.

_To hell with balance!_ She thought. And then her knee went up and hit him right in the crotch, while her fist found her way to his potato of nose.

With a yelp of pain, Andrew backed off, one hand between his legs and the other on his face.

"You fucking bitch…" he hissed.

His two friends approached her menacingly and Lucy stumbled, gripping the border of the table again.

_O-oh…_

But then two figures came running into the picture, pushing back the boys in perfect, deadly coordination. A few punches and both of them went running, leaving Andrew to face their wrath alone.

"I… I'm sorry…" he stumbled fearfully, still pained by Lucy's hits. Then he ran as fast as he could.

"Just wait you bastard!" Edmund raged before chasing after him.

Caspian stayed and turned towards Lucy.

"I'm very sorry, I shouldn't have left you alone. Are you all right?" He asked, his eyes full of worry.

With a giggle Lucy took an unsure step towards him and then threw herself in his arms because at the moment it seemed like the right thing to do.

"I feel like a princess, whose knight in shining armour has come to rescue." She purred.

"A very drunk princess." Caspian noted dryly. "You're lucky Charles came to warn us you had had a few drinks too much."

She protested, just for protesting's sake. Then she softened.

"Thanks for saving me anyway, my King." She murmured into Caspian's ear.

The said king blushed furiously at her words. Somehow, being drunk gave Lucy a whole more sex-appeal than she usually put forward. Her hot breath was tickling his ear and he was breathing in the scent of her bare neck. Her soft, slender neck…

Apparently she wasn't planning on letting him go and she clung to him fiercely despite his very feeble attempts to get her to stand back. It wasn't so disagreeable to hold her, so he could cope. And maybe the fact that her face was hidden in his shoulder was a good thing, because the Lucy he was holding was not the girl he considered like a sister but a woman. A very kissable woman. He could have hit himself for having such thoughts. Maybe if he told her, she would punish him for it… he shook his head fiercely.

How idiotic. She was the drunk, not him, he shouldn't be having such thoughts.

Lucy lifted her head and looked questioningly into Caspian's closed face.

"Is something the matter?"

Now her face was definitely too close. Well, too close for her own good anyway. But somehow, she seemed transfigured; their eyes locked together, both unable to look away. She didn't seem that drunk to him, or she would have looked sleepier. Not this fiery gaze that struck him and sent bolts of heat through his body.

Hmm, her face didn't seem so close anymore. Actually, the distance was insufferable. He swallowed. The girl was biting her lip. Slowly releasing it, said lip seemed even redder, more attractive…

_To hell with it!_ Caspian thought and kissed Lucy fiercely. Almost immediately she responded, opening her mouth to offer access to her tongue. She was sucking and nibbling on his lower lip, making his blood shoot down, away from his head and towards a less rational part of his body. The lust that animated both of them drove them crazy and the heat and electric current that was passing between them only made them increase and deepen the kiss.

_Edmund_.

With a jolt, Caspian put an end to the kiss and looked around him anxiously. If Edmund had seen him snogging his sister it would probably be the end of their brotherly relationship. But luckily, he was nowhere to see. He redirected his gaze towards the girl that was still clinging to him and that had started kissing his jaw and neck.

"Lucy." He groaned.

With an innocent smile she looked up.

"Yes my King?"

She was too adorable for her own good, he decided.

"I would be perfectly fine with keeping going like that but… your brother is not going to be very pleased."

_And you probably not either, when you come back to your senses._ He thought.

She pouted, not understanding the problem. Delicately, Caspian detached her arms from his neck and took a step back from her to ensure a minimum distance for his own sanity.

_How did I get myself into this situation?_ He frowned. Lucy had slid from the friend zone to the… highly attractive zone in just an instant. Could be only the alcohol? He hardly believed it.

"Ok Lucy, we are going to go looking for Ed."

She nodded and followed him through the crowd, holding onto his shirt as she was still unsure of how to balance from one foot to the other without falling.

* * *

**And that's it! Finally we have some Lucian romance! So, how did you like it how did you like it how did you like it?**

**Please review that would very gracious and kind of you because if this chapter makes me happy and not you, then it's a major stepback as an author (of fanfiction only, I couldn't imagine being a professional).**

**So pleeeease review comment share favorite follow... any of it (or all of it ;D)**


	10. Sorry

**So I'm sorry guys, I just wanted to tell you that right now I'm completely immersed in Harry Potter _and_ I have to work so I can't keep writing this story for the time being.**

**I promise I'll finish it though.**

**Hope you won't mind and you'll still want to read in a few months.**


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